Emperor's Reckoning

The left-most digit made a maddening shift as the speed of the tens and hundreds slowly followed.

They all gawked as their words stuck in their throats. Their eyes reflected the number that keep on increasing as they held their breath away. Goosebumps rose as disbelieve basked Afurnae. No cultivators in heaven could have prepared for the result.

The number had stopped before one of the participants fell back on their butt. He didn't any pain from the impact but his eyes were opened wide. He couldn't blink as he felt a cold string on his spine crawling.

Hilde was the first one to blink her eyes. She slowly closed her gaped mouth before making a harsh swallow. Her eyes went back and forth from the number to the young man.

The kings stood up from their seats with disbelief in their eyes. The number was unprecedented, not to mention coming from a mortal cultivator.

Carius snapped back to reality before he grinned. "Hezar, look's like you didn't kick an iron plate this time, you kicked a sleeping monster, and it has his eyes on you."

Hezar couldn't speak a word as his fingers buried into his palm. The plan to kill the brat had definitely failed, not to mention that he deliberately told him that his subordinate had died by his hand. 

His experienced fist trembled as he looked at the demeaning look the youth gave him. Especially the smirk that spoke a thousand profanity.

Altre couldn't even swallow his saliva as he looked at the absurd number. He knew Lyon was not ordinary, but the number showed proof that he was underestimating him.

"How..." Felicia muttered as she took a step back. 

The past ten winners didn't have it in their right mind that something like this would occur.

Cecile. The name was the only thing of concern since she had the best potential to be able to conquer the tournament with her blessed physique. That kind of woman had a husband. The kind of husband that was worthy of a war goddess. Nobody would think such a man exist until he showed up in this world.

"Lyon Torga!" The host shouted with all his might as his lips trembled upon chanting his name.

All of them furrowed their eyebrows before the host continued.

"Five thousand four hundred and sixty-nine pounds!"

The declaration cracked the frozen atmosphere as a roar came from the outsiders' side. Though they were small in numbers, their roars were the biggest. They were doubting at first since the prince assumed that the platform was flawed. However, after affirming that there was no flaw, Lyon just put the last nail of the coffin, and it was a huge one at that.

Lyon crossed his arms as his golden sarong fluttered vigorously. He stood at the front of the spectators from the same banner.

"Heh."

His stance was indomitable as he reigned the first round without a thought.

"Look! Those horns! Looked at the massive size of those four horns!" said one of the spectators.

"Impossible," Folcre leaped forward before the princes and princesses arrived at the platform first.

"Ah," Folcre looked at Raul didn't even turn his back. He canceled his attention as he took a step back. He gritted his teeth as fuming rage enveloped his veins. He glared at Lyon but his glare was caught by nothing. (Huh? Where is he?).

"This is..." Cherie touched the giant horn with her pale hand. "Wow, this is thick and hard."

"Yes, this is thick and hard," said Lyon as he nodded. "It's called a horn."

"It's a horn, Cherie," said Hilde as she shrugged. "Huh?"

Not one from the four royals noticed that Lyon had already joined them. As if an artist was ready to explain his painting to the guests and avid buyers of his craft.

"This is from a four-horned hellboar," said Lyon as he gave a tone of pride in his words.

"Hmph! You must be lucky to have found an injured four-horned hellboar," said Raul.

"I could kill one too," said Rupert as both of his eyebrows furrowed.

"Found?" Lyon raised his eyebrows. "Nope, I didn't find it, I was saving Zet and that cold beauty over there."

Hilde had an epiphany as her eyes opened wide. A moment ago Zet indeed had said that Lyon saved them from a hellboar that was hunting them. However, he said something unbelievable that was making it hard for the people to believe.

"Lyon did you... knocked it out cold."

"Hm?" Lyon raised his eyebrows, "How did you know?"

Lyon narrowed his eyes before he suddenly grabbed Hilde's wrist and dragged her along with him.

"Hm? Hey, what are you doing?!" Hilde had her cheeks turned red as she couldn't help but follow Lyon's direction.

Cherie blinked her eyes in disbelief as all the kings and queens did the same, not to mention the two princes.

Under the frozen gaze of the spectators, Lyon brought her to a corner before he let go of her wrist.

"What? Why are you bringing me here?!" said Hilde before she massaged her temple. She could already feel the headache from the trouble this caused.

"Did you see me peeing in the forest?" asked Lyon as his eyes turned sharp.

Hilde blinked twice before she uttered. "What?"

"Did you see me peeing in the forest? Did you see my penis?" asked Lyon before he glared at her.

"W-What?! Wh—Why are you asking me a stupid question like that?!" said Hilde.

Lyon blinked twice as he pulled his face a little bit. "What? Why are you mad?"

"Of course I'm mad! I'm a pr— I'm a woman! Why are you so disgusting?!" said Hilde.

"Then how did you know that I was knocking out a hellboar with a single punch?" asked Lyon.

"Zet told us!"

"Oh..." Lyon's pupils turned to a dot before his lips wrinkled as if he had eaten a ripe lemon. "Sorry Hahaha! I thought you're spying on us.

Lyon turned around before he walked it off. His hands were on the back of his head as he leisurely returned to the platform. He could feel the astonished gaze that the spectators gave him but he paid no heed.

Hilde stomped her foot to the ground. (He! What the hell is he?!). She shook her head before she comes out of the corner with her arms crossed. Her cheeks had turned a red hue as she appeared restless for some.

"Hey, she is blushing..."

"Holy shit she is blushing!"

"Oh my god, that guy is something else."

"You think he is going to die later at night?"

"Did they make a hidden erotic deal?"

"Shh! You want to die?!"

The spectators only made them worse. Just that one single moment that Hilde had shared with Lyon had birthed numerous based rumors. Though nothing happened, the rumors were actually the ones that made her blush as she was now.

The king of the Borg Kingdom naturally furrowed his eyebrows. He didn't seem keen toward the young man forcefully dragging his daughter out of nowhere. However, considering that her daughter was not a weak woman, he blasted the notion that the youth could do anything.

The queen shook her head, "That man is an avid womanizer."

"You."

Lyon raised his eyebrows as he turned his glance toward the source of the sweet voice. 

Cherie pointed at him, "I'm interested in you." she smiled.

"Interested as in?" said Lyon as he smiled.

"You're not ordinary," Cherie smiled. "Stay alive and I will offer you a seat in the Sverine Kingdom."

The spectators that saw and heard that immediately made a duck face. "Oooh!"

"A direct recruitment!"

"Damn! Princess Cherie didn't waste time."

Hilde furrowed her eyebrows before she said. "Hey, back off Cherie, he is mine."

"Oh my god!"

"She admitted it!

"Borg Kingdom has accepted a consort for the princess!"

Hilde immediately had her goosebumps creeping up from the strain of her back to her neck till she jerked off her shoulder. She didn't realize that she was making her headache into severe vertigo. A problem that shouldn't even exist for her.

Cherie furrowed her eyebrows, "Is that true?"

"I thank you but I will politely refuse," said Lyon with a smile before he turned around and left. 

"Hey, wa—" Cherie immediately opened her eyes wide.

"That's as far as you go, princess," Kesya suddenly cut the space between the two. "Young master is tired, and he needs to sleep."

Lyon who heard her words had his lips twitched (Tired? What tired?).

"Zet, you and the cold beauty, I'm going back first, I suggest that you do the same," said Lyon before he yawned. "The next round is tomorrow, right? Then I'm going first."

Lyon and the group left just like that. Leaving Afurnae both astounded and worried. Mortal Cultivator had reigned, no, conquered the first round without mercy. Never in history that something like this had happened, and the one that was infuriated the most was the famed commander, Hezar.

"That brat!"